Hamburger?

[twistertail]

I was thinking of getting one of those big tubes of hamburger and smoking the whole thing then slicing it into burgers. They have 3 or 5 pound packages, I thought I could put some rub and spices on it and then smoke it whole like doing a fatty. Thought it would be easier than making patties. Anyone ever try anything like this?

 

[willkat98]

yes, but the key is to keep it moist.

First one I did like a fatty and it was a bit dry (the logs are normally around 80/20 or 85/15)

After the first one, I had better success wrapping the log in bacon.

Good luck!

 

[bbq bubba]

Use the 70/30 and wrap in bacon,awesome burgers

please post pics of the finished product

 

[navionjim]

I tried that too, and like the others have said, unlike the JD sausage fatty it was difficult to keep it moist, and I was mopping every 30 minutes. If you have room in your smoker it's better to just smoke the patties. 80/20 Angus burger is "da bomb" and the patties have more surface area to take the smoke. I usually wrap the edge in bacon and apply a 50/50 BBQ rub and Lowery Season Salt. Smoke for an hour with a mop every 30 minutes or so, then finish them on the grill. It beats the hell out of a straight grilled burger. You can go 2 hours and never grill then at all with good results too.

 

[willkat98]

Not to stray to far from the doing a ground beef log, but Jim, have you tried the jalepeno/cheese 1/2# Angus burgers in the smoker?

I like all cherry or pecan wood so as not to overpower.

Man those pub burgers rock (and I do the 2 hour (220*)method with no grilling, or 1 hour offset on a 250* kettle)


Back to the topic of the OP, I forgot to mention that before wrapping in bacon, I do like to roll it is herbs or Italian Seasoning Blend to give it a bit more of a meat loafy flavor than just hamburger.

Start a pot of chili or beans with your first few tests, if its dry, chop it up and add it to the pot!

 

[twistertail]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm going to try something, not sure what yet. I like the idea of using them for chili, i bet that make some great chili.

 

[navionjim]

Not to stray to far from the doing a ground beef log, but Jim, have you tried the jalepeno/cheese 1/2# Angus burgers in the smoker?

I like all cherry or pecan wood so as not to overpower.

Man those pub burgers rock (and I do the 2 hour (220*)method with no grilling, or 1 hour offset on a 250* kettle)


Thanks for the tip Bill! I have not tried the Jalapeño / cheese but I have used 80/20 Angus beef, 2 hour smoked with sliced Jalapeños and onions all glued down with a smoke-melted slice of Tillamook Cheddar (and homemade bacon around the outside edge). I added the "toppings" for the last 12 minutes or so in the smoker. All with pecan smoke at 220 and no grilling that time. (NB Bandera vertical smoker) Served on a toasted bun with honey mustard. Man that was good! Sound like you and I have similar tastes!

 

[willkat98]

Great! Another NBB owner!

I love doing the cheesy bread thing dropping through the grates onto garlic bread.

I'll see if I posted that here a few years back

Edit:

Found it, it wasnt too long ago:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=1534

 

[smokyokie]

Twister,
I have done several. What I have found is that i I slice the chub into nice thick slices and then smoke it I get a much better smoke on the meat. It coats the whole patty, not just the outer edge. you can also get a better seasoning application. you don't have to fuss w/ making patties either. for storage, let them cool when done, put a double layer of plastic wrap between the patties, and stack them back like they were before you sliced them. Either store in a vacpac, or if you don't have one, wrap the log in foil. Whenever you want a quick smokyburger, just stick a knife between the patties, and twist. Just nuke, heat, and eat. We always save the cheese for the reheat.

Tim

 

[deejaydebi]

Open up the ends but don't unwrap it. Stick a wooded spoon down the middle and stuff it with chopped bacon onions and cheddar cheese then plug the ends and roll it around a bit to reshape it and slice off the wrapper.

 

[smokewatcher]

Mmmmmm.....so many ideas, so little time.

 

[smokyokie]

Au Contraire, the whole rest of your life!

Tim

 

[navionjim]

WOW BILL!
That's a fantastic idea! I never thought of doing that, I'd sure want a super clean grate for the cheese though. I'll be trying that one out real soon. I immediately though of a Boboli pizza bread with my homemade pesto and pepperoni and letting the cheese drip on that. I've had problems with cheese melting when I was trying to smoke it before, but you have turned that problem into an advantage! Pure inspiration on your part my friend, genius really! Can't wait to try it. Now I'm truly glad I bought the vertical Bandera instead of the horizontal model everyone else has.

Here is a tip in return, I also make a lot of jerky in my Bandera, I have a small gas burner and cast iron pan for wood chips that I put in the firebox to keep the temp down when smoking jerky, (and salmon too). I also put ice in the water pan to keep the temp below 110F, it get hot enough here in Texas anyway. But getting the jerky on and off the Bandera racks is a pain in the but, so I bought a bunch of those thin wire bread cooling racks at the dollar store and I lay the jerk on those inside the house where its cool, (I air dry mine in front of a fan for a day or so first) then I just put the cooling racks with the meat already on them crossway's on the Bandera racks to smoke. It make it much easier to get the jerky in and out of the smoker itself.
Ice, Bait and Cold Beer.
Jimbo

 

[smokyokie]

Wow Bill, "cheesy" is a huge understatement. I think you should call it "Bready cheese" instead. Man what a pile of artery clogging bliss!



Jimbo,
I smoke cheese from time to time too. Here in Tulsa, it's difficult if not impossible to keep the temps down, so I try to limit my chese smoking to the cooler months. I mean it's hard to keep the box temp under 110* when it's 112* out.

I do mine with an electric hot plate and a CI smoker box






Sometimes if it's over 75* out, I'll have to crack the lid open a little in order to maintain temps, but most of the time it works out perfecxt w/ no melting or hardening of the cheese. I've also found that the cheese is better once it's been vac packed and allowed to absorb flavor for about a month.

Tim

 

[navionjim]

Roger that Tim!,
My little gas burner ($10 from Harbor freight) and frying pan are about the same idea as your using. Problem is as you say, when it's already 110 in the shade in Texas, it's pretty hard to keep the heat down. I used to smoke cheese in a "little Chief" in Oregon in the winter and that's about all it was good for, it barely got hot enough to melt ice. I'll probably have to wait until winter here to get a chance to try it again, unless I complete my big fridge smoker and put a block of ice in the bottom first! I hear you about vac sealing and waiting a month too, many things seem to be that way. Smoked Salmon get better for the first week after it's smoked. But it rarely sticks around that long.
Jimbo

 

[deejaydebi]

Good point about letting the cheeese sit in the fridge before eatting it. I think it atses weird right off the smoker for some reason - next day it's wonderful! Kind of like bacon it's the same way.